1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning the step boards of an escalator and more specifically to a method for cleaning the surfaces and grooves between the cleats of the step boards of an escalator by mounting a cleaning unit on a holding unit detachably placed at the entrance of an escalator, pressing rotary brushes rotatably mounted on the cleaning unit against the surfaces of the step boards of the escalator, and rotating the rotary brush in a predetermined direction as the escalator is operated so that the surfaces and the grooves between the cleats of the step boards are cleaned satisfactorily, and to an apparatus for cleaning the step boards of an escalator, including a holding unit capable of being placed detachably at the entrance of an escalator, and a cleaning unit equipped with rotary brushes and adapted to be mounted on the holding unit so that the rotary brushes can be pressed against the step boards of the escalator.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
An escalator has a plurality of step boards endlessly connected for circultion. The step boards are circulated during the operation of the escalator so that the step boards form a series of stairs of a fixed rise in the inclined section of the escalator and the rise decreases proessively as the distance to the entrance and to the exit of the escalator decreases. A comb plate is detachably provided at the entrance or at the exit of the escalator to comb the grooves between the cleats extending crosswise of the breadth of the escalator so that the feet of persons being carried are transferred safely from the step board to the comb plate.
During the operation of the escalator, highly adhesive trash such as chewing gums thrown by persons carried on the escalator and a mixture of foodstuffs, such as ice cream, as well as dust, accumulate with time and soil the surfaces of the step boards and the grooves between the cleats provided on the step boards to provide secure footholds so as to prevent people's feet from slipping. Removal of the mixtures of the highly adhesive substances and dust is extremely difficult. In the facilities of the service trade, such as department stores and hotels, a soiled appearance of the escalators is undesirable and in foodstaff sales room, in particular, dirty escalators spoil the sanitary impression of the room.
Generally, such dirty substances sticking firmly to the surface and the grooves of the cleats of the step boards are scraped off by cleaning workers with scraping tools, such as knives and scrapers, while the escalator is stopped during the closure of the facility or during the night. However, the periodical repetition of such cleaning work for numerous step boards requires much time and labor and is inefficient. Accordingly, it is a usual procedure, when all the step boards of one escalator need to be cleaned, to dismantle and to take the escalator to a service factory, where the step boards are cleaned by blowing high-pressure steam or the like against the step boards.
As mentioned above, in order to clean an escalator, it is necessary to dismantle all the step boards, to carry the same to a factory, to clean the same, and then to reassemble the escalator. Accordingly, the cleaning of a purality of escalators has required much expense, time and labor. Furthermore, since the escalator is inoperative during the period of disassembly, cleaning and reassembly (for about one week), people using the facility are obliged to suffer from inconvenience and the facility as a shop suffers from a reduction in sales.